Bright orange sunsets and smoky odor grip Rochester region. What's causing it?

In recent days, many people have taken to social media to share photos of sunrises and sunsets that appear bright orange as the result of smoke from wildfires raging across eastern Canada.

Now the smoke from those blazes has reached ground level here, bringing with it a smoky haze and wood-smoke odor that's likely to hang around for a bit, said Tony Ansuini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

“Wind coming out of the northwest is pulling wildfire smoke across New York state,” he explained. “It looks like we have low pressure off the eastern United States, and that will keep this northwest flow through the remainder of the week.”

New York wildfire, smoke mapTrack latest wildfires, red flag warnings

Breathing in the smoke’s fine particles is a health hazard, so the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality health advisory for counties including Monroe, Livingston, Ontario and Wayne through midnight Wednesday.

What you should knowAir quality alert in effect for Rochester region

The warning is based on the Air Quality Index, or AQI. The higher the number, the greater the level of air pollution. An AQI number of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value of more than 300 represents hazardous air quality.

According to airnow.gov, around 3 p.m. Tuesday, Rochester had an AQI value of 156, which is classified as unhealthy, and represents a threat not only to the very young or old or to people with such underlying health conditions as heart or lung disease, but to the general public.

Under such conditions, people are advised to keep outdoor activities short or move them indoors.

Schools move activities indoors due to air quality alert in Rochester NY region

On Tuesday, a number of local school districts — including Rochester, Brighton, Brockport and Pittsford — announced they were moving outdoor gym classes and recess indoors. Semifinal Section V flag football games have also been be rescheduled to Wednesday.

Nearly 7 million acres burned in Canada wildfires

More than 6.7 million Canadian acres have already burned in 2023, federal officials announced last week, marking one of the worst starts to wildfire season. 

Around 14,000 people were forced to evacuate Quebec with over 150 fires, CBC News reported.

Officials said firefighters contained a wildfire in Nova Scotia Sunday but that another one was still burning out of control covering nearly 100 square miles, according to the Associated Press.

Blazes have caused hazy skies as far south as South Carolina, and parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Southeastern Minnesota and all of Wisconsin have air quality advisories in effect, too.

Includes reporting by USA Today.

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.